Ethical Sugar - Philippine : Labor dept asked to give aid directly to sugar workers

Sun star - Monday 9 February 2009

THE National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) is urging Negros Occidental Gov. Isidro Zayco and the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) to directly give the government's support from the Social Amelioration Fund (SAF) to sugar workers.

NFSW chairperson Isidro Castillo on Monday said "the social amelioration fund should be given directly to the sugar workers through the unions and not to the sugar planters and big landlords".

"It is from the blood and sweat of the sugar workers and it's rightful for them to receive the support funds," said Castillo in a statement emailed to Sun.Star Bacolod.

Under the Sugar Amelioration Act of 1991 or Republic Act 6982, Dole shall set aside P10 for every LKG (50 kilos) of sugar produced. The said money will go to the SAF, of which, 80 percent will go to the Social Amelioration Bonus while the remaining 20 percent goes to economic projects and maternity and death benefits of farm workers.

Section 1 of the said law states: "It is the policy of the State to further strengthen the rights of workers in the sugar industry to their just share in the fruits of production by augmenting their income and, among other schemes, institutionalizing the mechanism among the partners in the sugar industry to enable the workers and their families to enjoy a decent living".

But Castillo said "only a few sugar workers receive the benefits of sugar amelioration. Workers hardly receive an annual bonus of P400 and some may even receive a measly P40 a year."

He added that majority of the sugar workers, most especially the seasonal 'pakyawan-based' workers, are not knowledgeable on the SAF and its benefits.

Since 2006, NFSW has demanded that the government release the unclaimed SAF to the farm workers and the unions and workers' association.

Castillo claimed that during the time of former Dole Regional Director Carlos Boteros, the "unclaimed SAF already reached P150 million."

"Sugar workers are the backbone of the (sugar) industry. (But) they suffer from low wages and inhuman work conditions during milling season, and suffer extreme poverty and hunger during the dead season (tiempos muertos)," he added.

"While we support the government's initiative to extend assistance to the farm workers at a time of worsening crisis, we raise doubts as to the plan to release the funds to the sugar planters associations and to landlord-established 'bogus' cooperatives," Castillo said.